EAST COBB — Cobb County Police have identified the man an officer shot and killed Tuesday night as 18-year-old Tendai Nhekairo, a Campbell High School student.

According to police, officers were dispatched to the Riverside House apartment complex on Shadowood Parkway, off Powers Ferry Road in east Cobb, to investigate reports of suspicious activity around 7:30 p.m. Tuedsay. While officers were setting up outside Nhekairo’s apartment, he came outside, naked and brandishing two knives. Nhekairo tried to assault one of the officers, who shot and killed him, police said.

“A Cobb County police officer is trained to recognize a suspect’s ability … to put that officer or a third party at risk of serious bodily injury and/or death,” police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said. “In this case, that officer perceived that suspect’s intention was to inflict serious bodily injury and/or death against them.”

Nhekairo’s actions prevented officers from using non-lethal force, such as a stun gun, without putting themselves in mortal danger, Pierce said.

Pierce could not say if Nhekairo appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol or if officers found any illicit substances in his apartment, but said a toxicology test will be conducted.

Police are not identifying the officer who shot Nhekairo, but said that officer has been put on routine administrative leave.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call (770) 528-3812 or (770) 499-3945.

Was there ever a followup with the coroner's report on this case? An 18-year-old running around naked is not the norm. He's killed and that's that? No witnesses? Was the police story corroborated? What caused this kid to go nuts?

Truth Fighter, you are just too much to believe...so clueless. You are part of the problem. And you are saying that you would have tried to reason with this person?

Who taught this man to come after ANYONE with knives, much less a policeman? Our youth need to be taught to respect life and fellow humansIf this person had followed that simple advice he would still be alive. Period...end of story.

He got what he asked for and that is what anyone doing something like this should be taught to expect. Maybe then our citizens would act a bit more responsible.

Respect the law or move to another country. We are tired of this type of thing happening and the criminals ending up the victims.

Teach your children well and hold them accountable for their actions. You hold too much hatred in your heart if you would wish the same on the family of this officer...shame on you. What would your Grandmother say about that?

Why couldn't they have tasered him. Even if he had knives, AS THEY CLAIM, he would have been disarmed from the distance from which they're supposed to be trained to taser people. I hope one of their children suffers the same fate.

Dr. Magee was a control freak at her earlier assignment at Campbell Middle School. She had numbers painted on the parking spaces and ordered the teachers to park in their numbered spaces. She then ordered the teachers to park in their assigned space. She would then go out from time to time to see if any parking places were empty during planning.

More recently, while at Campbell High School, she reduced the number of minutes that the students had to move from one classroom to another. Campbell is a huge school. A committee of students politely asked her to try to walk from one end of the school to the other in the assigned time limit. She refused to even try. The led to the riot in the cafeteria.

Students being shot, a Campbell math teacher sleeping with a 17-year-old student, food fights in the cafeteria with the police hauling students away. Former principal Grant Rivera should never have been replaced by Dr. Denise Magee. She has reached her level of incompetence. The teachers at her old position at Campbell Middle School could not stand her. Look for more problems at Campbell High School.

Things have change the campbell. remember however these issues have been going on for quite some time. a student was allegedly raped last year.

ModernPatriot

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March 31, 2012

My neighbor works at Campbell High School and the guy was taken to the hospital 2 days before for being high on LSD or another hallucinogen. There are also rumors going around in the student body that the people he bought marijuana from mixed it with "spice" (synthetic marijuana they just made illegal).

Let's see... a naked man attacks an officer with two knives? When exactly would it be ok for the officer to use deadly force? After the knives are already lodged into his neck or torso that the vest doesn't protect? I wish people would stop defending people making bad and/or stupid decisions. The use of force was appropriate and justice was served.

You Cobbobserver, are part of a much larger problem,when and whom made you and those like you judge and jury. I wonder if you feel different if the 18 year old high-school student's name didn't identify him as other than Caucasian. This young man was obviously under the influence of some substance or mentally disturbed,if a lay person like myself can identify that , cops we entrust to serve and protect should be appropriately trained and sensitive to circumstances involving people with specials needs,mental illness and substance abuse. Respect for life, would certainly dictate exhausting less than deadly force, parents are grieving the unjust loss of a sons life, this story stills disturbs me a year later .

enough foolishness, you have shown yourself to be VERY naive. Perhaps you would consider some you tube searches for bad cop behavior...you might be surprised at just what all those nice police folks do..but won't ever admit to doing....even after the are confronted with the video.

You woulda thought they could let him get dressed before they shot him.

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